all_Short_notes_SHOrT_nOTe.qxd 08.08.2016 10:48 Seite 9 SHOrT nOTe HerPeTOZOa 29 (1/2) Wien, 30. Juli 2016 SHOrT nOTe 85 another case of dicephalism lected on October 26, 1861, near Schio, Pro - in Vipera aspis francisciredi vince of Vicenza, northern italy. The same author (1865, 1874) reported another case of (LaurenTi , 1768), from northern italy dicephalism in an asp Viper collected by the naturalist an tonio OrSini , in the mountains Dicephalism (two-headedness) is a near ascoli Piceno in central italy, that was con genital malformation with several cases described in bOnaParTe (1833). There are reported in snakes ( WaLLacH 2007; S ayyeD no further reports of dicephalism in wild V. 20 15). it is rarely encountered in the wild aspis from italy. because of the high mortality rate of the indi - Here, the authors describe one more viduals affected, mostly due to feeding com - case of dicephalic juvenile V. aspis francis - plications such as physical impediment in ciredi in northern italy (Fig. 1). The indi - swallowing prey (W aLLacH 2007). indeed, vidual was found and photographed by one most reported cases of dicephalism refer to of the authors (n. M.) on august 17, 2015, at juvenile and newly hatched snakes (D e aLbu- 5:50 pm along a path in the forest near Pove querque et al. 2013; PeZDirc et al. 2013). del Grappa, Province of Vicenza (45°48’ in the Palearctic genus Vipera , observa - 16.6”n 11°43’54.8”e), approximately 350 tions of dicephalic specimens are document - m a.s.l., about 30 km from Schio, in the ed in four species: V. ammodytes (LinnaeuS , same area from where De beTTa ’S (1865) 1758), V. aspis (LinnaeuS , 1758), V. berus dicephalic juvenile V. aspis francisciredi (LinnaeuS , 1758) and V. ursinii (b OnaParTe , originated. The snake was not collected, 1835) (LeiGHTOn 1901; Payen 1991; n auL- and the description of its morphology is Leau 1997; TóTH et al. 2005; PeZDirc et al. based on the photographs only. The indi - 2013), with the greatest number of reports for vidual measured 18-20 cm in length, consis - V. berus , likely due to its vast natural distri - tent with the size of a hatchling and the typ - bution range ( WaLLacH 2007). in italy, De ical reproductive ecology of the species in beTTa (1865) described a dicephalic juvenile north italy, with common late-summer V. aspis francisciredi (LaurenTi , 1768), col - births ( GenTiLLi 2005). The juvenile has Fig. 1: Two aspects of the juvenile dicephalic Vipera aspis francisciredi (LaurenTi , 1768) from Pove del Grappa, northern italy. Photo: n. Mischischia. all_Short_notes_SHOrT_nOTe.qxd 08.08.2016 10:48 Seite 10 86 SHOrT nOTe HerPeTOZOa 29 (1/2) Wien, 30. Juli 2016 SHOrT nOTe two heads, closely attached to one another caso di dicefalia-atloidica in una giovane vipera in the posterior head and nape region, with a (Vipera aspis Merr .) raccolta nel Vicentino.- atti dell reale istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed arti, postoccipital transition into a common sin - Venezia; (ser. 3) 10 (6): 916-925. De beTTa , e. (1874): gle neck, body and tail. The outer lateral Fauna d’italia. Parte quarta. rettili ed anfibi; pp. 1-107. eyes appear fully developed, whereas the in: berTOLini , F. (ed.): L’italia sotto l’aspetto fisico, median eyes are not. The upper side of the militare, storico, letterario, artistico e statistico con spe - ciale riguardo all’industria ed al commercio. Parte ii: left head (right head in frontal view) shows Trattati speciali sull’italia; la geologia, la mineralogia, a longitudinal indentation, where a molting la botanica, la zoologia, la storia politica, letteraria ed residue was present. it was unclear whether artistica, e la statistica dell’italia in singoli trattati; the viper had a dominant head, as it opened Milano (Vallardi) . GenTiLLi , a. (2005): elementi di cariologia, biologia molecolare e biologia riproduttiva both mouths when stimulated, suggesting di Vipera aspis in italia; Dottorato di ricerca in that both heads might have been functional. biologia cellulare, dipartimento di biologia animale The viper had no apparent problems of loco - dell’università degli Studi di Pavia, XVii ciclo, rel. M. motion but the neck presented a permanent Fasola e M. ZuFFi . GenTiLLi , a. & S caLi , S . (1999): analisi della diversità erpetologica in Pianura Padana.- pronounced flexure to the left side. rivista di idrobiologia, Perugia; 38: 113-122. numerous are the factors that promote LeiGHTOn , G. r. (1901): The life history of british ser - axial bifurcation in which incomplete longi - pents and their local distribution in the british isles; tudinal divi sion of a single embryo seems to edinburgh (William blackwood & Sons), pp. 383. LOurDaiS , O. & S Hine , r. & b OnneT , X. & G uiLLOn , be the most frequent process leading to the M. & n auLLeau , G. (2004): climate affects embryonic existence of prodichotomous snakes (re - development in a viviparous snake, Vipera aspis .- viewed in WaLLacH 2007). a documented Oikos, Lund; 104 (3): 551-560. nauLLeau , G. (1997): cause is suboptimal temperature during in - La vipère aspic; Saint yrieix-sur-charente (Éveil nature), pp. 72. niMiS , P. L. & F uMaGaLLi , F. & akken akken cubation or gestation ( b & b biZZOTTO , a. & c ODOGnO , M. & S kerT , n. (2002): 1987; anDraDe & a be 1993). This is par - bryophytes as indicators of trace metal pollution in the ticularly relevant to V. aspis as the embryos river brenta (ne italy).- Science of the Total en - are extremely susceptible to low tempera - vironment, amsterdam; 286 (1): 233-242. Payen , S. b. (1991): Tératologie chez les reptiles. Étude parti- tures in the gestation period ( LOurDaiS et al. culière des monstres a bifurcation axiale. inventaire des 2004). However, one cannot exclude the examplaires conservées dans les muséums d’histoire possibility that inbreeding, due to contrac - naturelle. Doctoral Thesis, ecole nationale Vétérinaire tion of natural populations and habitat d’alfort, Maisons-alfort, France, pp. 174. PeZDirc , M. & Z aGar , a. & c arreTerO , M. a. (2013): First reduction and fragmentation ( GenTiLLi & record of dicephalism in Vipera ammodytes (LinnaeuS , ScaLi 1999) or environmental pollution in 1758), from Slovenia.- Herpetozoa, Wien; 26 (1/2): 94- the area ( niMiS et al. 2002), might be 95. SayyeD , a. (2015): records of dicephalic (two- responsible for axial bifurcation in the viper headed) snakes from india.- ircF reptiles & am - observed. it is interesting that two out of a phibians: conservation and natural History, Tucson; 22 (2) [June 2015]: 81-82. TóTH , T. & G áL , J. & total of three cases of axial bifurcation in V. uJVári , b. & M aDSen , T. (2005): Severe malformation aspis reported in the literature were noted in in neonate Vipera ursinii rakosiensis .- amphibia-rep - the same area ( De beTTa 1865; this obser - tilia, Leiden; 26 (3): 388-390. WaLLacH , V. (2007): vation). it would be of interest to study the axial bifurcation and duplication in snakes. Part i. a synopsis of authentic and anecdotal cases.- bulletin of occurrence of axial bifurcation of V. aspis the Maryland Herpetological Society, baltimore; 43 particularly in this area and determine the (2): 57-95. possible causes of these abnormalities. key WOrDS: reptilia:, Squamata: Serpentes: Viperidae: Vipera aspis francisciredi ; dicephalism, pro - reFerenceS: anDraDe , D. V. De & a be , a. S. (1993): Malformações em ninhadas de caiçaca, dichotomy, axial bifurcation, teratology, morphology, Bothrops moojeni (Serpentes: Viperidae).- Memórias veterinary medicine, italy do instituto butantan, São Paulo; 54 (2): 61-67. SubMiTTeD: October 13, 2015 bakken , D. J. & b akken , L. a. (1987): Dicephalism in auTHOrS: Luca caViGiOLi (corresponding the russian rat snake, Elaphe schrencki schrencki .- author < [email protected] >) – Società di bulletin of the chicago Herpetological Society, Scienze naturali del Verbano cusio Ossola, Museo di chicago; 22 (1): 2. bOnaParTe , c. L. (1833): icono - Scienze naturali, collegio Mellerio rosmini, Via grafia della fauna italica per le quattro classi degli ani - antonio rosmini 24, 28845 Domodossola, (Vb), italy; mali vertebrati (vol. 2); roma (Tipografia Salviucci), Grégoire Meier – Via degli Orti 3, Medeglia, Switzer - pp. 270. De aLbuquerque , n. r. & P iaTTi , L. & land; Valentina S. a. MeLLa – School of bio logical WaLLacH , V. (2013): Dicephalism in the green racer Sciences, university of Sydney, camperdown, nSW snake, Philodryas patagoniensis (Serpentes, colu - 2006, australia; nicola MiScHiScHia – Via Oliero di bridae), from southeastern brazil.- Herpetology notes, Sotto 33, Valstagna, italy ; Giacomo bruni – Via Leiden; 6: 85-87. De beTTa , e. (1865): nota sopra un busoni 4, Sesto Fiorentino, italy..